I just finished my monthly ritual of creating a vision board of how I want the month to FEEL, and a list of all I want to DO in the month.

It's going to be a busy month, preparing for the first exhibit of my 108 Buddhas Project, getting a major (and beautiful!) tile order out the door, and working on some new goodies (big announcement coming soon!) for you guys here on the blog...

My strong intention is to keep up with my daily and weekly self-care to support all this work, and also to receive even more abundant income for my creative work! I'd love to hear your goals and intentions for the month, so please share in the comments, or on my new Facebook page!!

Have You Set Your Goals for October?

I love the clear slanted autumn light that comes in my office window this time of year. You can see it casting shadows of bamboo leaves on to my desk in this picture!

There is a reason I left a lot of white space on my goals page this month.  I want to focus on clarity, completion, and visioning for the future. I want to open up some space in my life by clearing out the stuff that really doesn't belong anymore: the clutter, the busywork, the habits that don't heal me, the work that doesn't inspire me, the people that don't support my dreams. I'm opening to let that stuff go. My desire is to be discriminating, in the best sense - careful, very careful, about the energy I bring in to my life, my home, and my body.

My wise astrologer has said that this time - until early November - is a significant time for visioning and creating the next major (29 year!) cycle in our lives. It's the time to put in place the structures and habits we want to carry in to the next phase - even if we are putting them in place simply by visioning them. It's also very important to let go of anything we do NOT want to carry along with us - take a look and ask, "Do I want to carry this (habit, person, decision, idea) with me for the next 29 years?" If not, let go now!

I know, it's kind of daunting. But I have actually really enjoyed the opportunity for clarity and visioning. I began a journal, dedicated to visioning the next phase, and it's really been a profound exercise, looking at my daily life, my world, my habits and ways, and asking myself, do I want to keep carrying this for 30 years? It makes things really, really clear. And clear is good.

For a start, I've added in my five daily must-have habits, and I've been dedicated to them. Right now they are yoga, meditation, a walk in the forest, a superfood smoothie, and my important supplements. I know that the form of these habits will change over time, but the important thing that I want to carry forward is daily dedication to my spiritual and physical well being - so that every day has a time for spiritual practice, a time for physical practice, some contact with nature, and attention to nurturing my body with what I put into it! Yeah, I want to carry that for 30 years. For sure.

The other big piece this month is building focus and follow-through in my work and home life. HUGE. As a passionate and creative person, I just love to start stuff. I'm brimming with creative ideas, and I want to dig into them all. It's that last 20% that gets tough. Can you relate? And sometimes it's OK. If I never finish that art journal, it's not a big deal. If I fail a work deadline, it is a big deal. So again, what I wish to cultivate is clarity and discrimination. I want to open up a bit of space, maybe put off starting a few things until a few other things are finished, and hold myself gently accountable for finishing up the important stuff and getting the satisifaction of tying a big bow around the completed package. It means a bit of a shift in the rhythm of my days - they seem slower, but the sense of completion and accomplishment could definitely become addictive!

So, a much longer and more personal post than I expected to write. Thanks for being there to read it. I'm honoured that you're interested, and I hope that some of my experiences resonate for you in a way that brings comfort, or sparks something in you that needed to light up in you.

What are you wanting to bring into your October?

Have You Set Your Goals for August?

Ahhhh... my mission for July is accomplished.... pushing the 'pause' button,
taking much-needed time to breathe and dream. 

Honestly, I had no idea how much I needed this, or how small my mental & creative worlds had become through so much time spent just-pushing-through, not resting and breathing.

I love the new spaciousness I feel in head and heart; 
and in that space new dreams and goals are gently taking shape... it feels exciting, fresh and hopeful. 
For August, my goal is to hold that spaciousness; a challenge, as I have a few big pushes for work & business, but I am still prioritizing dream-time, creative time, and rest.

Have you set your goals for the month? What is your vision for the coming weeks? How will you balance must-do's with time to dream and create?

Have You Set Your Goals for July?

Well, you may have noticed that the "Goals" post never materialized for June. That's just how my June was... lots of plans derailed, it was a bit of a rough ride - I certainly ended up doing a lot, but it wasn't anything I had on my list! Sometimes (often?) life is just like that.

My lists and goals give me a sense of security and accomplishment - but really they are just guesses - conjectured maps of unexplored coastlines.

I'll be awhile absorbing and implementing the lessons of this June. It was big month for personal growth, for release, soul-learning, letting go, and for surprises, some nice, some not-so. June did not fit on to two neat pages of my journal.

So, mentally and emotionally at least, I am giving July some extra space too. I want some space for my soul growth, for my creativity. I need some space to stand tall. I need to de-clutter and simplify - and I don't mean just my cupboards and drawers - I mean my mind, my to do list, my work schedule, my social life, my expectations of myself and others. It all needs to be simplified.

For ten days this month I am going off grid, to my sister in law's private lake. No computer, no phone, no to-do list. Just lake swimming, big family meals, fishing, long hot afternoons under the shade trees with a couple of beers and good company. A few trashy novels. A real summer vacation - my first in a decade.

For the rest of this month, I am going to allow myself some space to dream and create.

What is your July looking like? Are you setting goals or letting go? Doing, dreaming, or a bit of both? I'd love to hear.

 




PS Some of the things I'm going to be dreaming/creating this month are yummy new Artful Life things - a new e-course, and, getting back to offering some women's retreats... do you want to hear about this stuff when it comes out? Join my mailing list. Do you want to have some input on content? Let me know what YOU would like to see for an Artful Life retreat or new e-course - either in the comments here, or by e-mailing me.

Have You Set Your Goals for May?

Have you set your goals for the month of May yet? It's not too late... we are just easing in to this month of  delicious burgeoning growth. What are you dreaming of? What lights a fire under you? What are your wishes and prayers?

May is a month of dreams come true, old roses wide open to the sky, birds in their nests, fading cherry blossoms ... I LOVE it!! May is my birth month, and as my fave astrologer recently noted, we Tauruses live for all things delicious: "love, art, flowers, relationships, butter, bacon, and chocolate."  With sincere apologies to my vegan friends, I have to say she's right. I DO love all things delicious, and the month of May is like one long delicious swoon for me, with a birthday party right in the middle. LOVE. On Saturday I will be celebrating with breakfast in the garden for my friends; champagne, chocolate, and strawberries. The forecast says the weather will be fine. I wish you could all be there too!

Here's my vision board for May (note birthday figures prominently!) April goals went really well, I've updated the post there if you're curious. And I'd LOVE to hear what your intentions for sweet May are - share them here, and the magic of the May Queen will help to make them true....

My May goals include:

In the Career and Finances Category:

• Launch my new biz site, artfuldesign.ca (held over from April)
• Read and implement the advice from one good biz/marketing book
• Complete and have printed the gorgeous new Artist's Map and Guide for our island!
• Lavish attention on this blog
• Create a new e-course called Bloom
• I have a very specific amount I intend to earn this month. It has a 6 in it. Think good thoughts for me.

In the Health and Self Care area:

• Vinyasa yoga 2 times a week
• Continue with running 3 times a week
• Continue with daily mindfulness meditation
• Continue with anti-inflammatory diet (Yay! I feel so good!)
• Start some weight lifting for Michelle Obama inspired arms
• Get 5 new spring/summer dresses, vintage sundress loveliness

In the Home and Garden Category:

• Bathroom Makeover (April holdover)
• Sew new slipcovers for the livingroom - I'm seeing blue and white Ikat
• Laundry room makeover. Oh my. major decluttering.
• Clean and cute-ify our little vintage trailer/guest house for the kids to stay in when they visit in June (kids=daughter+boyfriend)
• Organize the ceramics studio

In the Fun and Social Category:

• Have a fabulous birthday: champagne breakfast, italian dinner, and shopping in between.
• Go on  a plant buying expedition with my friend K
• Have lunch with my friend L
• Do some ceramic play
• Start art journaling for the Sketchbook Project Denman Island
• Host a dinner party with East Indian food
• Buy a kayak

Another wonderful Spring month. What's on your wish list?

did you set your goals for the month of April yet?

This fun page came about while I was Skyping with my daughter this morning. We were showing each other our to-do lists (yep, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree...) and we simultaneously came up with the idea of setting and sharing our April goals, since it was the first of the month. And the conversation went something like this:

Yay, OK, lets make categories...ooohh, and we can use coloured pens...VISION BOARDS!!....OK let's go.... (long silence with writing and tearing sounds.....)... what are your categories? what colour did you use for self-care?.....etc. etc,....

and so on. And when we were done we shared all our goals. It was a really fun, spontaneous mother daughter Skype experience.... and I wanted to share the results with you, in case you'd like to join us, and share your goals here, or post your goal list on your own bog... you can link it here in the comments too if you like!

** update May 7 -- I'm really happy with how well this goal setting strategy worked! I've updated below...**

My April Goals include:

In the Career category,

• give The Artful Life blog a makeover  Done! I hope you like it!
• launch the site for my fledgling business Artful Design Took more than a month! added to May goals
• take an e-course over at artbizcoach.com Done!
• apply for another year of funding for my community arts marketing initiative (cross your fingers for me!) Done! We'll hear the news later in May... keep those fingers crossed!

In the Health and Self-Care category,

• get a gorgeous new haircut and highlights Done! Check my new pic!
• take weekends off. seriously.  Done! This  as probably the best, most life changing goal I accomplished this month.
• re-establish a good sleep routine Nope. Need to do in May.
• lots of beach walks Does running count?
• keep up with 5x weekly meditation and yoga Done! Yes meditation. Added yoga to May goals. (meditation makes my marriage better, seriously.)
• start some type of cardio Done! OK I'm really proud of this. I started running again. After a 19 year hiatus.

In the Home & Garden category

• spring garden clean up
• plant veggie bed!
• dig two new beds in front of veggie garden for ornamental grasses and hardy meadow flowers Done, Done, Done! I totally rocked the gardening this month. I did all this and much much more. So who wants to be inside painting the bathroom and online fabric shopping? Next two goals get moved up to May.
• finish the bathroom makeover I started in December (I'll show it off here)
• find beautiful fabric for livingroom slipcovers. I want something with cobalt blue, white, and Tiffany-box blue, a large scale happy print with East Asian flair. any suggestions?

In the Fun & Social category,

• dinner party for friends, italian food. SO FUN!
• go to my friend's art opening Oops. had a falling out with the friend. Didn't go. That's the reality.
• get ready to participate in a dance flash mob Nope. Too busy with work.
• start art journaling for the Sketchbook Project Denman Island Um, no. Too busy organizing the project to actually participate!
• plan and take an adventurous daytrip with my sweetie. Um, no. Wait, does plant shopping count? Obviously this category needs more attention. We did enjoy our weekends in the garden though!

Whew! It looks like a fun, busy month! What's on your agenda?